Call of Duty Drops Another Obnoxious 30 GB Modern Warfare Update

• A new update is out for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone, dubbed Season 4 Reloaded.
• The download size tallies up to 22-36 GB depending on the platform. Console players get a 3.5 GB secondary download.
• The new update heralds the return of 200-player Warzone matches.

It’s tricky to feign surprise at this point, but Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s latest “Season 4 Reloaded” update tallies up to perplexingly large GB-guzzling download size.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 4 Reloaded

The Season 4 Reloaded update has a download size wavering from 22 GB to 36 GB depending on whether you’re partial to the base game (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare), the standalone Warzone battle royale mode, or both.

You’ll fare best by only installing Warzone. The maximum download size shrinks slightly to 30 GB, and, once installed, the update reduces the game’s overall footprint.

Those running both Modern Warfare and Warzone can expect the overall footprint to “minimally increase.” It’s already pushing 200 GB, so read that as a handful of gigabytes or so.

It gets worse if you’re on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. According to a spirited news wire on the Call of Duty website, console players need to make room for a secondary download of approximately 3.5 GB. Worst-case scenario, we’re talking a 40 GB update, or you know, the size of a whole game.

Activision kindly reminds players that they can free up precious space by wiping unwanted data packs for an overall smaller overall file size.

How Is Activision Justifying the Heft?

How is Activision justifying yet another hefty download this time around?

First, 200-player-strong quad matches return to Warzone, but it’s a limited-time affair, so don’t expect it as a permanent feature.

We have a new weapon – a high-powered Rytek AMR sniper rifle – and a glint-free Spotter Scope.

Discount-spawning timed Supply Run Contracts will have players rushing for the nearest Buy Station. The Juggernaut Mode unleashes one lucky player onto the streets of Verdansk armed with an airdropped mini-gun.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare gets a new map, called Cheshire Park, styled on a picturesque urban English garden.

A new capture the flag-style Team Defender mode lands in Multiplayer.

There’s also a raft of new microtransaction goading goodies, including a new operator and a selection of bundles.

And yet, once again, it’s quite hard to reconcile this to a 30-40 GB download.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.